[Local-Maine-Schools] Pending proposals for School "Regionalization"

[Dick Atlee]

Gail Marshall wrote:
 >
 >
 > Senators and Representatives,....

Gail, I just wanted to send you a public piece of fan mail.  You and 
Wiscasset Principal Susan Poppish, whose "Waste and Mismanagement at the 
DOE" op-ed piece 
(http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com/index.cfm?ID=23523) you 
referenced in your letter, both qualify for inclusion in Mark Twain's "a 
pen warmed up in Hell" category.  Your forthright, in-your-face-style 
can't help but get the attention of your readers, and what you give them 
is detailed, substantive, and clear -- particularly helpful to relative 
bystanders like me.  You covered a tremendous amount of helpful ground 
in that letter, spicing it up with powerful insight-tidbits -- 
particularly the now-uncertain potential doctor your community was 
courting, and the concept of "island" schools surrounded by agricultural 
or forest land.

Thanks for a wonderful job.

Dick

PS: for anyone who appreciates witty, no-pulled punches, insightful 
commentary on education (particularly on the topic of standards and 
educational corruption), I highly recommend 
former-special-ed-teacher-turned-writer Susan Ohanian.  Her book "One 
Size Fits Few"

   http://www.amazon.com/One-Size-Fits-Few-Educational/dp/0325001588

(with interesting customer reviews) can only be categorized as a 
page-turner.  An excerpt from it can be found on the web at

    http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/13_04/size.shtml